Inflatable packer



July 23, 1968 l.. E. FAGG, ETAL 3,393,744

INFLATABLE PACKER Filed oct. 22, 1965 BY WKK United States Patent O 3,393,744 INFLATABLE PACKER Lauren E. Fagg, Garden Grove, and Daniel Miller, Los Angeles, Calif., and Bobby J. Hood, Las Vegas, Nev., assignors to Razorback Oil Tool Co., Inc., Long Beach, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,251 Claims. (Cl. 166-187) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An inflatable packer for use in an oil well bore or the like. The packer includes a steel casing having a resilient cover molded thereover and bonded thereto. The steel casing includes one or more apertures through the periphery thereof, and closure means such as clips are secured to the casing to prevent the resilient cover material from ilowing into the apertures during molding of the cover, but still allow gas pressure within the casing to cause the cover to inflate.

This invention relates to devices used with oil wells and more particularly to an inllatable packer for use in an oil well. The packer includes a casing having a resilient cover bonded theretowhereby gas pressure within said casing enables the cover to be inflated.

In various instances it is desirable to seal olf or isolate a section of an oil well bore or casing. Various devices have been devised for accomplishing this, and typically are called packers Such packers generally include a mechanism to expand against and seal with the interior of a well bore. Two such devices may be utilized to seal or isolate a section of the Well bore. These packers generally have been characterized by undue complexity.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention t0 provide a new and improved packer.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel inflatable packer.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved inflatable packer, two of which may be employed to pack or seal off a portion of a well bore.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inflatable packer for use with multiple string installations.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the teachings of the present invention, an inflatable packer is provided having a casing with a plurality of pipes longitudinally extending therethrough, and a bonded resilient inflatable cover arranged over the casing. One of said pipes may include a plurality of apertures within the casing, with the casing including apertures for inating the cover and causing it to seal with the interior of the Well bore. The remaining pipes may be utilized for various purposes, such as injecting uids or gases into the Well bore and receiving fluids or gasses therefrom, respectively.

Other objects and features of this invention will become more apparent through a detailed consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side sectional elevation of a packer constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of the packer of FIG- URE l;

FIGURE 3 illustrates a pair of the packers of FIGURE 1 arranged within a well bore; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail sectional view taken along a line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, a packer constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention includes a cylindrical casing having ends 11 and 12 suitably secured thereto, as by welding. The casing 10 y 3,393,744 Patented July 23, 1968 preferably is made from metal, such as steel. A plurality of pipes 13 through 15 extend through the ends 11 and 12 of the casing 10 and are sealed therewith to provide an air tight chamber within the casing 10. The pipes 13 through 15 are substantially parallel and non-concentric. A resilient and inflatable cover 16 is arranged over the casing 10 and has its ends 17 and 18 bonded, such as vulcanizing, to the respective ends of the casing 10. The casing 1,6 preferably is formed from rubber molded over the casing 10. The pipe 13 includes a plurality of apertures 20 communicating with the interior of the chamber lll and the chamber 10 includes a pair of holes 21 and 22 in the periphery thereof. Preferably, metal clips or reeds 23 and 24 are alixed, as by soldering, to the periphery of the casing 10 to lie over the respective holes 21 and 22 (note FIGURE 4). These clips are provided to prevent the rubber casing 16 from flowing into the holes 21 and 22 during molding of the cover 16 over the casing 10. Air may be supplied under pressure to the pipe 13, and the air passes through the apertures 20, and the apertures 21 and 22 to inflate the cover 16.

FIGURE 3 illustrates a pair of packers 25 and 26 like the packer shown in FIGURE l arranged within a casing or well bore 27. The casing 27 includes a plurality of apertures 2S which communicate with an underground oil or gas table. The pipes 13 through 15 of each of the packers 25 through 26 are innerconnected by respective pipes 30 through 32. The ends of the pipes 13 through 15 of the packer 26 may be suitably capped by respective caps 34 through 36. The pipes 31 and 32 include respective apertures 37 and 38 for communicating with the interior of the casing 27 between the packers 25 and 26 and thus with the apertures 28 thereof.

The packers 25 and 26 shown in FIGURE 3 are passed down into a casing 27 to the desired level. Typically, the packers 25 and 26 are spaced between approximately -10 and feet apart. Air is applied to an end 40 of the pipe 13 of the packer 25 which causes the covers, such as the cover 16 in FIGURE 1, thereof to inflate and seal with the interior of the casing 27 as illustrated by respective reference numerals 41 and 42. Then, in accordance with conventional practices, a fluid or gas may be applied to an end 43 of the pipe 14, and this fluid or gas passes through the apertures 37 of the coupling pipe 31 and through the apertures 28 in the casing 27. A suitable conventional test instrument or instruments may be connected with the upper end 44 of the pipe 15 to receive and either continuously or intermittently monitor the gasses and fluids present between the two packers whether such is passing inwardly through the apertures 28 of the casing 27 or coming from the apertures 38 in the coupling pipe 32 depending on pressure and flow conditions. After the tests or services have been performed, the two packers may be deflated by releasing the pressure on the pipe 13 and the string of pipes moved to any other desired depth.

A packer constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention typically may be approximately 10 inches long (from one end to another of the cover 16), with one to one and one-half inches at the end of the cover 16 being bonded to the casing 10. A typical uninfiated diameter for the casing 16 is approximately four and three-fourths inches. The pipe 13 generally may be a one-fourth inch pipe with the apertures 20 therein being one-eighth inch in diameter, and the apertures 21 and 22 also being one-eighth inch in diameter. The pipes 14 and 15 typically are two inch and three-fourths inch pipe, respectively.

It will be understood that although an exemplary ernbodiment of the present invention has been disclosed and discussed, other configurations, structural arrangements and applications are possible and that the embodiment 3,393,744 3 4 disclosed may be subjected to various changes, modificaclosing said aperture to prevent rubber from llowng tions, and substitutions without necessarily departing from into the aperture during molding of said cover while the spirit of the invention. 4still allowing gas pressure within said casing to corn- What is claimed is:

tion with an interior section of said bore, and

municate through said aperture to inflate said cover.

1. A packer for use in a well bore comprising 5 4. A packer for use in a well bore comprising a cylindrical steel casing having at least an aperture a steel casing having a plurality of apertures through through the periphery thereof, the periphery thereof,

a clip attached to the periphery of said cylindrical casend means aixed to the ends of said casing, and uid ing and extending over at least a substantial portion conveying means coupled to at least one of said end of Said aperture, means for allowing7 fluid to be supplied to the interior a plurality of tubes extending through said casing, one of said casing,

of said tubes having at least an aperture in a portion an expandable cover formed of resilient material thereof within said casing, mounted over said casing, said cover being secured covers secured to the ends of said casing for rigidly at its ends at least to said end means, and

retaining said tubes and sealing said casing to form closure means secured to said casing for substantially a chamber therein, and closing said apertures to prevent said resilient matea rubber cover molded over said casing and bonded to rial from owing into the apertures during forming the ends thereof whereby gas pressure in said one of said cover while still allowing fluid pressure within of said tubes communicates through said apertures Said casing to communicate through said apertures to inflate said cover. to expand said cover,

2. A device for selectively packing off a portion of a 5. A packer for use in a well bore comprising well bore comprising a steel casing having a plurality of apertures through first and second inflatable packers each including a the periphery thereOf,

cylindrical casing and a plurality of tubes extending end means affixed t0 the ends of Said Casing, and Huid therethrough, means sealing the ends of said casing, conveying means coupled to at least one of said end and an inllatable cover arranged over said casing and means for allowing iluid to be supplied to the interior bonded to the ends thereof and capable of being in- 0f Said Casing, flated to form a seal with the interior with said bore, an eXDal'ldable COVer fOrmed 0f rCSlCDt material the casings of said packers each including at least an mounted over said casing, said cover being secured aperture therethrough and each of said packers inat itS @DdS at least t0 Said end memS, and cluding closure means secured to the casing thereof clip means secured to the periphery of said casing for for substantially closing the aperture to prevent the substantially closing said apertures to prevent said cover material from owing into the casing during resilient material from owing HO the apertures molding of the cover while still allowing gas pressure during forming of said cover while still allowing fluid within the casing to communicate through the aperpressure within said casing to communicate through ture to inflate a respective cover, said apertures to expand said cover.

a like plurality of pipes innerconnecting respective tubes of the packers, at least some of said pipes having References Cited apertures therein to enable fluid or gas communica- UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,647,585 8/1953 Roberts 166-187 cap means 'sealing the ends of the tubes of the second 2,979,134 4/1961 Reed et al 166 187 of said packers. 3 032 116 4/.1962 B 166 l 7 3. A packer for use in a well bore comprising Ury 8 a cylindrical steel casing having at leas't an aperture FOREIGN PATENTS through the periphery thereof, 4@ 656,991 1/1963 Canada. end means afiixed to the ends of said casing, 718,724 9/1965 Canada" a rubber cover molded over said casing and bonded to said casing and said end means, and

JAMES A. LEPPINK, Primary Examiner. closure means secured to said casing for substantially 

